


Seven Times Arthur Asked Someone Else About Merlin's Looks, And One Time Someone Asked Arthur

by UniquelyQueer_67



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Background Relationships, Everyone Loves Merlin (Merlin), F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Humor, Lancelot (Merlin) Lives, Light Angst, M/M, Magic Revealed, Merlin is a Little Shit, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Minor Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin), Oblivious Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), POV Arthur, Pining Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24755152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UniquelyQueer_67/pseuds/UniquelyQueer_67
Summary: After vaguely recalling that fateful day a barmaid called Merlin a "handsome fella", Arthur begins to wonder if anyone else he knows shares this opinion.And eventually concludes that he does too.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 62
Kudos: 877





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Investigations of Funny Business](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21303587) by [UniquelyQueer_67](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UniquelyQueer_67/pseuds/UniquelyQueer_67). 



> This fic was written to celebrate one of my other works (Investigations Of Funny Business) reaching 1000 kudos!!! That's never happened before! And I got so excited I decided to write a fic 😊 hope you enjoy this one!  
> (It was supposed to be 5+ one things, but seven worked better 😅)

Ridiculous. Quite ridiculous, really.

Arthur watched with vague bafflement as Merlin tripped over his own boot and fell heavily onto the ground in a chaotic tangle of limbs.

He was also holding a bucket of water at the time. Water which was meant for Arthur's bath but missed its target by miles. Water that was instead leisurely spreading out into a large pool over the freshly polished floor.

It was at this point that, for some unknown reason, the king of Camelot remembered something. If he recalled correctly it was the day they met Gwaine, and participated in a brawl at the local inn. Two things not entirely unrelated.

But in particular, Arthur remembered that before the fighting, a barmaid had called Merlin "handsome".

Merlin. The man currently sprawled out on the cold hard floor, soaked through, and with a metal bucket over his head.

The Merlin who - after several failed attempts - eventually stumbled to his feet and gently placed the bucket on the ground, before bounding out of the room in search of a mop or some cloth.

Arthur sighed heavily. 

How could anyone find this idiot attractive. Admittedly, he had his moments of wisdom and clarity. Where his eyes would grow intense and he'd reassure Arthur that he deserved to be king, and was more than worthy of the crown.

He was unfailingly loyal and whip-smart. 

But most of the time he was a bumbling moron. Especially in front of people who were not Arthur.

So then, how? And why?

* * *

The first person he asked was Gwen. His Queen.

Now, he couldn't ask her in council meetings, because Merlin was there.

He couldn't ask at meals, because Merlin was there.

When at hearings with the citizens of Camelot, Arthur ran into much the same problem.

Which is how he ended up in bed, candles out, with his wife next to him trying to drift off to sleep.

"Do you think Merlin's handsome?" He asked, voice echoing through their large and _ painfully quiet _ chambers.

"Umm…" was Gwen's groggy and somewhat puzzled response. 

A new approach.

"Objectively speaking," Arthur amended his previous statement, "do you think my manservant handsome? Because a member of the townsfolk mentioned it the other day." He explained.

There, believable.

"Arthur," said Gwen, "are you talking about the time you and Merlin met Gwaine in that tavern?”

_ Bollocks _ .

"Because that was several years ago…" she continued.

"I'm aware." Said Arthur, just deciding to go with it.

"Right," said Gwen. There was a pause, in which a duck could be heard quacking as it flew past their window, separated from the flock, "I actually used to find him quite the looker. I still do, though a couple of years ago I actually tried pursuing something. I remember giving him a flower. But ultimately he didn't seem to be interested. Does that satisfy your strange curiosity?" Came the rest of Gwen's answer.

Arthur's jaw dropped. Which Gwen couldn't see, with her back to him, but still.

He couldn't believe his ears! He was well aware that Gwen was Merlin's close friend long before Arthur got to know her properly, but that was  _ ridiculous _ ! Absolutely unbelievable. He wouldn't accept it.

"What  _ exactly  _ did-” said Arthur.

"-I see in him?” said Gwen, "He was kind and genuine. He has quite lovely eyes too, if you look closely enough, you could almost swear they contained little flecks of gold. He has lovely bone structure too, especially when you look at him from the side,  _ incredibly _ handsome. Plus his smile lights up a room. Happy?” she finished with a scowl.

Arthur frowned.

"H-”

" _ Go to sleep, Arthur. _ " Said Gwen through gritted teeth.

Arthur got the message.

  
  
  
  
  


But _ bone structure _ !?

* * *

The second person Arthur asked, oddly enough, was  _ Gaius _ .

"What's bothering you, my lord?" He asked, in a tone that was less suited to Court Physician, than it was to Concerned Father. 

Arthur tried to resist by shrugging, but Gaius' eyebrows were too strong for him.

"People think Merlin is handsome. I don't see it." Said the king.

"I see." Said Gaius.

There was another long silence, this time in which the sound of glass bottles and mortar-and-pestle could be heard.

"Would you like to kno-?” Asked Gaius.

"Yes." Said Arthur. Not immediately afterward. That would be incredibly unseemly of the new king.

Gaius sighed an 'old man' kind of sigh.

"I think he's certainly grown into his features. His ears don't stick out as much and he's filled out quite a bit, thanks to Camelot's decent food. He's grown into a strong and, yes, dare I say  _ handsome _ young man. Will that suffice, my lord?” Said the court physician.

Arthur heaved an 'I'm too tired for this' kind of sigh. Then he took his ointment up to his chambers for Merlin to work into his joints.

With his maybe-not-so-skinny-anymore arms.

* * *

It was actually two weeks before the subject was broached again.

The busiest and most hectic two weeks of Arthur's life, though.

In which he and Gwen agreed to divorce, then made it official, and then Arthur had to chat with Lancelot about 'treating Gwen right' or other such noble things.

Turns out he needn't have worried, this was Lancelot.

However, there was something he'd been meaning to ask one of his best knights.

"Do you think Merlin is handsome?" Said Arthur.

Lancelot looked at him, from behind the training dummy, politely perplexed. Then he put his sword down, a motion encouraging Arthur to elaborate.

"Allow me to explain," said the king to the man who was to wed his ex-wife, "it has come to my attention that several citizens of Camelot are of the persuasion that my manservant is…handsome. Do you agree?"

Lancelot's eyes momentarily widened, before returning to normal. He seemed to ponder the matter for a while.

"Yes, I agree." Said Lancelot, with a charming smile.

Arthur smiled back, tight-lipped, and then cleared his throat.

"Care to…elaborate?” he asked, attempting to keep the shake from his voice.

"Of course," said Lancelot, ever enthused, "He's a rather complex spirit, I'd say. While I do agree that he's handsome, it's certainly not in an average way. More in the way a swallow or a young stag is handsome."

"You're saying he's like a woodland creature?" Said Arthur, skeptical and far from subtle about it.

"In a way. He has a sort of unique beauty about him. If asked to describe how Merlin looks, I'd probably say 'ethereal' or 'mystical' before I'd say handsome." said Lancelot. Completely sincere, not at all mocking. Which was normal for Lancelot, but what did that say about  _ Merlin _ ?

"I feel as though you're just edging around the word 'magical', Lancelot Du Lac." Said Arthur.

Lancelot seemed to search for something in Arthur's steely gaze. When he found it, he smiled.

"Perhaps, my lord," a pause, "he also has impeccable bone structure."

Then they went back to sparring, and Arthur tried not to think about the way Merlin interacted with animals Arthur would sooner shoot. And also how incredibly at home he looked with them.

* * *

He found himself on the training grounds yet again the next day. Arthur and the knights were taking a short break for water and breathing, when Leon walked up to him.

"It's his loyalty that cinches it for me." Said one of Arthur's oldest friends.

"I'm sorry?" Asked the king, perplexed.

"Merlin. To me his loyalty is his  _ most _ attractive feature," said Leon, "Lancelot said you were asking people if they thought Merlin was handsome, so…"

" _ Seriously _ ?" Said Arthur incredulously.

"Yes," said the bearded knight, "I've also known him almost as long as you have. I've seen him grow and change. These days he has this determination about him, almost as if he's also taken on your kingly responsibility. And I know you both bicker near ceaselessly, but I also know you have been ready to die for one another for years. Quite frankly Arthur, the reason the council has never pushed you to seek out an actual Royal Advisor is because Merlin already fills that role. And he certainly does it so much better than any stuffy old noble whose offer I've had to turn down.

"So yeah, loyalty." He finished.

Arthur sort of just… stood there, mouth agape.

What could he possibly have said to that? Leon was completely…right.

As much as Arthur would've liked to call it "food for thought", what Leon said was more of a decadent feast.

* * *

He asked Elyan while out on patrol. 

"Yeah, Leon said to expect  _ that _ question…" said the knight, "Objectively, yeah he's a looker. According to Gwen, when he first arrived in Camelot he charmed the pants off of everyone in the city. And he has a similar effect on everyone he meets for the first time." He looked over at Arthur.

"Except, maybe, you."

Arthur's first thought was, did Elyan really mean the "pants off" bit. Part of him scoffed at the idea of Merlin being good at wooing strangers, and the other part sort of...coiled tightly. Like a tree branch one of the knights pushed out of the way, ready to fling back into the face of the next unsuspecting rider. 

Did Arthur feel… Protective of Merlin? No, it wasn't that. He knew that feeling from all the times he'd seen Merlin get injured in his reckless escapades…

Arthur was going to stop thinking about Merlin and focus back on Elyan. Who was talking about Merlin.

"Other than that, he's a good friend to you. And anyone who can manage to find a redeeming quality about you, your esteemed majesty, is someone I'd definitely consider a relationship with." Said Gwen's brother. He wasn't allowed to get away with as much snark as Merlin, and didn't do it as often; but as Arthur's (ex) brother-in-law, Elyan was permitted to be a bit pushy from time to time.

He was also Arthur's friend.

But Merlin did it first.

When Arthur thought about it…

"Merlin has always been there for me, I suppose. And there are times when I'll be doubting myself, or I'll lose hope. But he'll say these…things. Stuff about destiny and worthiness and…he makes me feel like the crown on my head is a burden, not a curse. He shows wisdom, Elyan, wisdom beyond that of most men I've seen." Said Arthur.

"I'm glad you're finally seeing his value." Elyan replied with a polite smile.

Arthur gave him a look then, shocked that his knight thought that he didn't value Merlin.

Shocked at himself, for saying all that.

And, a little guilty, if he was being honest.

"It's awful then, that everyone thinks I have such a low opinion of him…"

"Well then you should probably not insult and yell at him so much," Said Elyan, fixing the king with a deadpan stare, "the funny thing is: he really does admire you. Sometimes I feel like you're the only person whose opinion he really cares about, though if you asked him he'd tell you otherwise. He thinks the world of you Arthur, give him some credit from time to time." And Elyan spurred his horse into a canter, Camelot on the horizon.

Since when did this whole endeavour result in Arthur doing meaningful self-reflection?

Slight bitterness aside, Arthur resolved not to insult Merlin so much over the next few days. And subtly reduced his list of chores.

* * *

A week later he found himself in the armoury, ruminating on the best way to gauge public opinion on potentially lifting his father's magic ban, and throwing a dagger at a target.

Once again, Merlin's looks entered his mind.

He turned on Percival, who was sitting on a bench with a whetstone, sharpening his longsword.

"Do you think Merlin's handsome?" Said Arthur.

Percival paused his sharpening and looked up at the king of Camelot.

He shrugged once, and returned to his work.

_ Fair enough _ , Arthur thought.

* * *

There was only one person left to ask, really. And Arthur was dreading it  _ immensely _ .

But he was almost finished drafting the new magic laws - and as such had been secretly meeting with a group of druids for weeks - and was altogether very stressed and sleep-deprived.

So rather than go to bed, he offered to go to the Rising Sun with Gwaine.

The knight enthusiastically accepted, and invited all of Arthur's top knights too. So every single person he'd asked about Merlin already. Great.

Oh, and Merlin as well. Also great.

And Arthur couldn've sworn from the way Merlin was acting, that he'd never been to a tavern before. And he obviously wasn't faking. So…where was he all those times Arthur thought he was at the tavern?

_ Another question for another day _ , he thought, already having drunk about three mugs of mead and getting pleasantly sloshed.

Gwaine had obviously caught Arthur staring at Merlin's subtly flushed face and innocent nervousness.

"Ask me!" He shouted in Arthur's ear, very drunk. More drunker than Arthur. Wait…

" _ Ask me,"  _ He yelled again, " _ you've asked everyone else! _ ”

"Ask him what?" Said Merlin.

Arthur paled, and Gwaine beamed, only too happy to blurt out the thing Arthur had been intentionally keeping from his manservant.

"If I think you're handsome! He's been askin' ever'budy lately, some barmaid said it 'few years ago 'pparently, he didn' understan' why." Gwaine slurred out with a wide smile and an elegant flip of his hair. Despite his current state of inebriation.

Merlin gave Arthur a quizzical look, then slowly raised his eyebrow - and the corner of his mouth - in a challenging smirk.

"I didn't know you cared so much." He practically  _ drawled _ . Arthur despised how much Merlin was enjoying this. He scowled at the dollophead to prove it.

But Gwaine interrupted, suddenly not slurring at all and speaking with perfect clarity.

"I actually think our near-and-dear  _ Merlin _ is quite gorgeous," he began, and immediately sat right next to Merlin and put his arm around his shoulder. That part of Arthur coiled tighter than he remembered last time, "I mean, he has this  _ intensity _ about him, don't you Merlin? And he's gotten quite the desirable figure recently, more  _ meat on his bones _ . Not to mention that country boy charm," Gwaine pecked Merlin on the cheek just then. Merlin must've stomped quite hard on his toe, because Gwaine winced considerably, "Sorry. He's got great bone structure too! Like a professionally chiseled statue. And, I mean, would you look at those  _ lips _ ! Kissable is an understatement  _ so _ severe it's bordering on  _ criminal _ . Amiright?"

Gwaine was addressing the whole table at this point. It was more about him than it was about Merlin, but Arthur couldn't help but look. Gwaine had mentioned things Arthur had been told before. But there was something in the _ intent _ there, that made Arthur sit up and take notes, so to speak.

And Merlin's lips really were quite full, and just the right shade of pink. And the contrast between the sharp angles of his face and the softness of his pale skin was… artful. 

He gave Arthur a look that perfectly conveyed that intensity Gwaine mentioned, that cold fire of Merlin's. Arthur was familiar with it, but when Merlin's face relaxed as he took in the rest of the crowd, he really did look like some creature of magic. Mysterious and beautiful.

My God, Arthur just called Merlin beautiful. In his brain. In  _ his _ brain. His own thinker.

  
  


It was Percival who caught Arthur's intense staring and asked the question.

"What about you Arthur? What do you think?"

Arthur's mind swirled. All he could see was Merlin, every expression he'd ever made.

Merlin fresh in the morning, waking Arthur up. Merlin at the end of the day, smiling dopily between yawns. Merlin smiling, Merlin frowning. Merlin laughing, Merlin crying. Merlin looking at Arthur with seething contempt, and how even that made Arthur's heart stutter.

Merlin looking at him like he hung the stars, talking about destiny and all that stuff. 

Merlin grumpy from riding, Merlin happy from watching Arthur get his arse handed to him in training.

God, Merlin  _ watching him train _ .

Merlin's skin damp from sweat, breathing ragged.

Merlin staring at Arthur like a particularly appetising cut off steak.

At first he'd found those looks threatening, perhaps irritating. This whole mind-flip gave everything a new perspective.

And suddenly Arthur was hungry, and too warm, his clothes felt uncomfortably close to his skin. He wanted to move.

To run away, or toward.

He wanted Merlin to keep looking at him like that for the rest of time and-

"Well?" Said Elyan, with a chuckle.

Fuck, how long had Arthur been staring?

Hot shame suddenly flooded his thoughts, he flinched, and then he stood.

So abruptly that his stool slid noisily across the floor, he felt dizzy.

He booked it, the stool hitting the ground with a clatter.

He ran towards the castle with the sole aim of getting to his room as quickly as possible and locking the door.

He ran from his thoughts and from this feeling.

Shit, that coiling was jealousy wasn't it?

He ran faster, trying not to give himself the time to consider those implications.

All those wonderful, awful… Implications.

He couldn't let himself think that way, he couldn't. He couldn't take advantage of Merlin.

He'd never hurt Merlin.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur shoved past a couple of guards, ignoring their concerned questions, and sprinted through the stone corridors.

His footsteps echoed noisily, and so did his laboured breathing. He tried hard to suppress sobs, from the sheer overwhelming realisation of  _ why. _ Why he cared so much, why he acted the way he did, why his actions overcompensated for his sappy, sentimental thoughts.

Before he knew it, his feet had carried him past the court physician's quarters and he stood outside his chambers.

He swung the door open, fell inside, and slammed it shut again.

The loud  _ bang _ echoed through the halls outside. 

Arthur couldn't breathe.

He went to open his windows and realised that it was raining outside. 

It wasn't raining when he entered the castle, it must've been a cloudburst.

He didn't hear the door open, but he did here the steady  _ drip drip drip _ of water hitting his polished floors.

Arthur turned and saw Merlin, standing, soaked through. 

Arthur began to apologise, and ramble, and generally act in an uncharacteristically panicked manner. He stutters out excuse after excuse, aimless apology after aimless apology. Not entirely sure what he's so sorry about.

Merlin wraps his work-worn hand around Arthur's wrist, and the room stops spinning, and air returns to him in a rush.

He hiccoughs.

Merlin uses the hand not around Arthur's wrist, the curl the king's fingers into a closed fist.

He then places his spare hand over the fist. Arthur can't stop looking at his fingers.

"Look at me, Arthur. You have to see." Merlin said - softly - and it comforts Arthur. He looked into his friend's eyes, clear and blue, sharp and focused. Arthur took a deep breath, and steadied himself.

" _ Gewyrcan lif _ ." Said Merlin, with a practised tongue. As the words left his mouth, his eyes shifted into a brilliant shimmering gold… It reminded him of the stars. It seemed so full of life.

"Beautiful…" Arthur breathed, only just realising just how close he'd moved to Merlin's face. The man's eyes shifted back to blue, and they widened momentarily.

"Umm," said Merlin, intelligently, "open your hand… Please."

Arthur noticed a fluttery feeling against his palm, and did as asked. When he looked down, a butterfly of brilliant Pendragon red flew out of his hand.

It fluttered about the room and Arthur gasped in delight, watching its winding path. It eventually landed on the candelabra next to Arthur's bed.

He looked over to Merlin and, oh.

He had that look on his face again. Like Arthur had just hung the stars in the sky.

Oh dear, and they were still holding hands weren't they…?

The soft sound of the rain hitting Arthur's window pain filled a moment of silence. Then.

"I am but one side of a coin, Arthur, and you are the other," said Merlin. Arthur frowned at him, "that's what the Great Dragon told me. His name is Kilgarrah by the way, and he's very much alive.

It is my destiny to aid in your rule, to help bring about a time of peace, like the poets spoke of. To bring about a new age of magic and harmony, to help you. It's why I have magic. 

I was born with it. I could move objects and halt their momentum before I could talk. It came so naturally to me. I'm the most powerful sorcerer to have ever walked the earth apparently. Balinor was my father and when he died I inherited his power. I'm the last dragonlord. And I've always been watching over you, from the sidelines, trying to keep you alive."

It was then that the slowly dimming light of the candles finally went out, and the room became just as dark as the night outside.

Merlin muttered another spell, and a glowing blue orb materialised in his outstretched palm. Arthur recognised it instantly. From the cave of the mortæus flower…

All that time…

"My guardian angel…" Arthur whispered, made timid in the soft blue glow, "but how-?” 

Merlin placed his finger over Arthur's lips.

"Shush. You can ask questions later. I just needed you to know first."

"Why?" Said Arthur.

"Because," Merlin began, and his gaze became more intense, "right now you've got two choices. You can either kiss me right now, or you can walk away and forget this ever happened."

Arthur blanched.

"What? No, I couldn't! Don't do this Merlin… I know you're my servant but I'd never ask that of you," the more he spoke, the more he hunched in on himself and backed away, "I love you too much… You can't… it's not your duty…I can't take advantage of you like that…" Arthur continued to ramble, his voice broken.

"Duty? _Take advantage_? You daft idiot, I'm not doing this out of a sense of _servitude_ , that's bloody presumptuous! You know damn well I've never done anything outside of my formal duties for _your_ _comfort_ in my life! 

This is for me, you great turniphead! Triple Goddess, help me, but I love you too!" Merlin chastised the living daylights out of Arthur, frowning determinedly.

He looked at his friend, his guardian angel, and came to the realisation that he even found his indignant anger attractive.

Arthur laughed deeply.

Merlin smiled at him, obviously catching on.

"We're both idiots." Said Arthur.

Then he kissed Merlin, to the light of his magic.

Okay, so maybe Merlin  _ was _ a "handsome fella".

Very handsome indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'know, the thing about the single duck quacking in the sky was added because right as I got to that part in writing, an ACTUAL duck flew over my house, quacking very loudly😂 I just thought it was so awkward, and perfect!


End file.
